Our Mission

We aim to make roads safer by researching the connection between humans and vehicles. We are home to the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and we now have a new name for our broader institute: the Driving Safety Research Institute.

News

Inside the NADS-1 simulator

NADS pulls in nearly $1.5M to further study transition of control in automated vehicles

Thursday, October 15, 2020
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) recently granted the University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS) a $1.45 million award to further study transition of control in automated vehicles in a simulation environment.
360 globe view of the NADS-1 bay

Take a 360 degree virtual tour of the National Advanced Driving Simulator

Thursday, September 24, 2020
Check out our virtual tour of our facility, including the simulators and research vehicles.

The Rural Hurdle

Thursday, September 24, 2020
What happens when an autonomous vehicle is not on a coastline highway, but a gravel road that it has to navigate? That is precisely what Omar Ahmad and his team at the University of Iowa are hoping to answer.
Director Dan McGehee in front of the NADS-1 simulator

NADS provides national leadership on COVID-19 research protocols

Tuesday, September 8, 2020
NADS Director Daniel McGehee made recommendations for human subjects testing in driving research for the COVID-19 era to the Transportation Research Board.
Cannabis and driving study example

University of Iowa researchers study effects of cannabis on driving

Wednesday, September 2, 2020
The National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa is conducting a paid study to test cannabis users to determine levels of impairment of those who use cannabis.
Rural road automated driving

UI ramping up automated vehicle testing on local rural roads from $7M USDOT grant

Monday, August 10, 2020
Automated vehicle route to go through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona starting in 2021

Car and Driver Magazine: We Take an $80 Million Driving Simulator for a Spin

Saturday, July 11, 2020
The University of Iowa uses a Toyota Camry and a lot of tech to study how humans interact with the future. We went for a drive.

Parents Play A Significant Role In Keeping Teen Drivers Safe

Monday, February 10, 2020
According to a recent study from the University of Iowa, the combination of in-vehicle video monitoring and conversations about safe driving between parents and teens can reduce the risk of serious car accidents.

Automated Vehicle Technology with Dr. Dan McGehee

Tuesday, December 24, 2019
We hear so much about self-driving vehicles but in reality how far away are they? My guest is Dr. Dan McGehee the Director of the Dan McGehee Image Dec 2019Human Factors and Vehicle Safety Research Division at the University of Iowa National Advanced Driving Simulator in the College of Engineering. What he has to say about automated vs. autonomous vehicles may surprise you. What is really amazing is that his team works on projects that are 20 years ahead of production.

Touch screens in cars are distracting, so why do we keep putting them there?

Saturday, October 19, 2019
Daniel McGehee is a human factors engineer and director of the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa, where he studies distracted driving and specializes in figuring out how to design vehicle interfaces around human limitations, such as memory and vision.
Automated shuttle bus on rural Iowa road

ADS for Rural America

Learn more about our Automated Driving Systems (ADS) for Rural America project, which drove a partially-automated shuttle bus through Iowa City, Hills, Riverside, and Kalona, Iowa. 

NADS-1 bay, 3D globe image

Tour our tech

Take a 360 degree virtual tour of our facility, and learn more about our technology and expertise.